The BBC has been accused of pulling a segment of The Repair Shop after a production staff member raised concerns over a "sexist" Bob Monkhouse joke.
The segment was set to feature volumes of handwritten joke books dating back to the 1960s, brought in by the late comedian’s writing partner Colin Edmonds and his adopted daughter Abigail Williams.
Originally planned as part of a tribute to Monkhouse later this year, the episode was initially reported to have been shelved after a joke was flagged as offensive.
Repair Shop producers Ricochet later confirmed the "inappropriate" jokes meant the item's repair was never filmed in the first place.
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Joanna Ball, the firm's managing director, said producers had planned to fix the joke book, "but when we got it to the barn and saw it in its entirety, we realised it contained many jokes that were not appropriate for a programme".
Ms Ball added: "We explained this to the family and returned the book to them.
"We did not complete filming of the item, so it was never included in the programme."
Earlier, a source told The Sun the move represented a "new low" for BBC "wokery".
Bob Monkhouse had compiled handwritten jokes since the 1960s
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"A production employee stumbled across a joke – no doubt written in the 1960s – and took offence, believing it to be sexist," the source said.
They added the decision was taken as a "collective decision" after it was raised by the staff member.
"Experts waiting to lovingly restore the historical joke books were disheartened.
"And Bob’s loved ones, who had agreed to participate in the show to talk passionately about his life, were at a loss.
"This has to be the corporation’s most embarrassing decision yet."
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The episode of The Repair Shop was pulled after a complaint from a single production of staff
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Monkhouse began compiling the journals in the 1960s, continuing until his death in 2003 at the age of 75.
Mr Edmonds has kept the archive in suitcases under his desk ever since.
The books contain thousands of handwritten jokes, alongside cartoons and doodles - some featuring topless women and material considered sexist by some.
Mr Edmonds previously said the jokes were "of their time".
"There are things that were acceptable in the Seventies which one wouldn’t dream of saying today," he added.
The BBC said the decision was a "production decision" which it had "supported out of consideration for all viewers".
Jackie Monkhouse, Bob's widow, and daughter Abigail Williams
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It added that "production evaluates each and every item", with decisions made with audiences in mind.
Ricochet, the show’s production company, earlier said: "Making decisions on which items to repair and include in the programme is part of the normal production process.
"These decisions are based on a range of factors."
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